The president of the Belgian bishops’ conference joined other faith leaders who criticized proposed legislation to extend euthanasia to children and dementia sufferers, warning the measure risks “destroying the functioning of society.

The president of the French bishops’ conference criticized his country’s attitudes to Roma and migrants and urged the Catholic Church to lead the way in upholding “fraternity, justice and solidarity” with the poorest.

The Catholic Church rejoiced at the end of a yearlong military campaign in North Kivu by the defeated rebels of the M23 movement, but made it clear that much remains to be done to consolidate that peace.

After Pope Francis entrusted two Vatican academies to study the problem of human trafficking, a group of women religious asked the pope to raise greater awareness in the Church about the issue by establishing a worldwide day of prayer and fasting.

A mortar round hit the apostolic nunciature in the Syrian capital, causing limited damage to the building and no causalities because of the early hour of the strike, said the Vatican ambassador to Syria.